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Teachers may well have developed a more robust understanding of classroom assessment options, but they can still be caught off guard by misapplications of well-intended practices. Three issues, in particular, have created potential assessment missteps: the heightened rigor of the new content standards, the emphasis on using assessments for data-driven decision making, and the practice of pacing instruction. Assessing thoughtfully means making sure that we teach students how to accomplish the rigor embedded in our standards before we hold them accountable for having mastered that rigor, that we use formative assessments that have sufficient instructional traction, and that we give students sufficient time and opportunity to practice and improve before we hold them accountable for having mastered the learning target.

Feedback plays a crucial role in bringing about learning gains. However, Lorrie Shepard (2001), in summarizing Kluger and De Nisi's meta-analysis on feedback research, points out that only in about one-third of the 131 studies examined did feedback improve learning. It turns out that it is not the "giving" of feedback that causes learning gains, it is the "acting" on feedback that determines how much students learn. Unless students know the answer to the question, "Where am I going?", feedback is just a series of instructions disconnected from a learning destination. In this article, the author discusses five characteristics of effective feedback: (1) Effective feedback directs attention to the intended learning, pointing out strengths and offering specific information to guide improvement; (2) Effective feedback occurs during the learning, while there is still time to act on it; (3) Effective feedback addresses partial understanding; (4) Effective feedback does not do the thinking for the student; and (5) Effective feedback limits corrective information to an amount the student can act on. (Contains 3 figures.)

Instructional decisions based on quality assessments and a balanced assessment system most effectively promote student learning. To inform sound decisions, assessments need to satisfy five key standards of quality: (1) clear purpose; (2) clear learning targets; (3) sound assessment design; (4) effective communication of results; and (5) student involvement in the assessment process. Assessment-literate educators must also consider balance; they need to understand what assessments are appropriate, both formatively and summatively, at three different levels of assessment: the classroom level, the periodic interim/benchmark level, and the annual standardized testing level. By building balanced systems with assessment literate users, we are far more likely to attend to issues of quality and serve the best interests of students. (Contains 2 figures and 1 endnote.)

Varying definitions of formative assessment have blurred the meaning of the term and caused confusion among educators. To determine whether a test is formative or summative, write the authors of this article, we need to ask, "How are the results going to be used? and Who is going to use them? The purpose of summative assessment is to make a judgment after the learning process is finished--to assign a grade, measure program effectiveness, or determine whether a school has met adequate yearly progress. Formative assessment, on the other hand, informs the teacher and learner about the status of learning during the instructional process, allowing adjustments to achieve greater learning. A key ingredient of formative assessment is descriptive feedback that identifies the student's strengths and suggests what he or she needs to do to improve.

Formative assessment refers to a system of more frequent summative assessments administered at regular intervals (often quarterly) to determine which students have not yet met state standards--an early warning system. On the one hand, it helps to identify students who need help when there is still time to help them. On the other hand, while this very expensive assessment process helps identify the problem, it does not help those students find greater success. For that, the definition must be expanded. Enter "assessment for learning." Assessment "for" learning happens in the classroom and involves students in every aspect of their own assessment to build their confidence and maximize their achievement. It rests on the understanding that students, not just adults, are data-driven instructional decision makers. This article details five keys to classroom assessment quality, with each broken down into specific competencies teachers need to master to tap the full potential of assessment "for" learning. (Contains 9 resources.)

Research has established that formative assessment is more likely to produce significant learning gains if students can answer three questions: Where am I going? Where am I now? and How can I close the gap? She offers seven strategies that teachers can use to involve students in the assessment process and ensure that students are the primary users of formative assessment information: (1) Provide a clear and understandable vision of the learning target; (2) Use examples of strong and weak work; (3) Offer regular descriptive feedback; (4) Teach students to self-assess and set goals; (5) Design lessons to focus on one aspect of quality at a time; (6) Teach students focused revision; and (7) Engage students in self-reflection and let them document and share their learning. (Contains 1 figure.)

Describes a comprehensive assessment plan designed by the Kitsap (Washington) School District. This plan clarifies district assessment purposes and aligns student evaluation with the district's new performance-based content standards. The test provides a model for other districts seeking to integrate curriculum standards, instruction, and assessment. (MLH)

In recent years, educators have expanded their thinking about what the assessment process can do; they have moved beyond using it simply to judge and grade achievement to using it to make changes in teaching that will lead to greater learning. They have come to refer to this as formative assessment. When used formatively, assessments help students grow rather than merely holding them accountable for their learning. However, in formative assessment as traditionally conceived, it is the teacher whose information needs are met. When formative assessment is cast as a tool for students to use, educators call it "assessment for learning." Both formative assessment and assessment for learning are intended to provide information early enough in the decision-making process to influence student learning. In this article, the authors identify the differences between formative assessment and assessment for learning, and describe how formative assessments can enhance student learning and create profound achievement gains.

A learning-team model that can be used by teachers to learn between team meetings is suggested. Teachers should create a cultural shift in the school by stressing the importance of 'teachers as learners.' Teachers should then create an understanding of the process by emphasizing that the aim of learning teams is strengthen student learning.

The article distinguishes between summative and informative assessment. It argues that the real value of formative assessment is when results are used to improve long-term teaching and learning.